Signature Theatre continues its commitment to new work and developing local talent by presenting the fifth season of SigWorks: Monday Night New Play Reading Series. This season Signature is proud to present four plays – Strange Men by Will Snider, Ay Gerald! by Vaughn Ryan Midder, The Story of Walter by Audrey Cefaly, and At the Full Yum by Rahima Rice.
“I’m proud that this will be our fifth year of supporting local playwrights and their work,” said Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. “It’s always exciting to introduce these new voices to our community.”
“Our SigWorks Monday Night New Play Reading Series is a wonderful opportunity for Signature to highlight some of the most exciting playwrights in the DC theatre community,” said Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “Audrey Cefaly, Vaughn Ryan Midder, Rahima Rice and Will Snider’s plays stood out from among over 80 submissions. We’re thrilled to give them an opportunity to further develop their unique and exciting pieces as part of our annual reading series.”
SigWorks: Monday Night New Play Readings is an initiative which highlights and supports the work of DMV and regional playwrights. This series is an opportunity for playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and patrons to explore new plays in a fun and informal environment. Each reading will be followed by a dialogue with the audience and the artists. Over the last four years, four plays developed as part of the SigWorks program have gone on to full productions at Signature Theatre including The Gulf by Audrey Cefaly, 4,380 Nights by Annalisa Dias, Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Heather McDonald, and Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes by Dani Stoller, which Signature will present this spring. The Gulf has gone on to major international productions and was the winner of the 2018 Lammy Award for LGBTQ Drama. Both The Gulf and Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity were recipients of the Edgerton New American Play Award.
This year, The Monday Night New Play Reading Series will be hosted in the ARK Theatre. See full schedule of featured plays below. Ali’s Bar will be open before and after each reading and audience members are invited to come early for drink specials.
The readings are free and open to the public, no reservations are required.
SigWorks: Monday Night New Play Reading Series
Strange Men
by Will Snider
September 30, 2019 at 7 PM
Harish, a member of the minority Indian population in a small market town in Uganda, lives a modest life running a restaurant. When an openly gay Peace Corps volunteer comes to town looking for more than a meal, Harish’s comfortable routine is broken – and his life put in danger – in this simmering exploration of the limits of good intentions, the social disruption of Americans abroad, and the menace that hides behind a smile.
Ay Gerald!
by Vaughn Ryan Midder
December 9, 2019 at 7 PM
Based on the beloved ‘90s cartoon, Hey Arnold!, Ay Gerald! flips the script to turn the spotlight on Gerald, Arnold’s African American best friend in their inner-city neighborhood. Despite his inseparability from his White best friend, Gerald finds his experiences are not the same as his peers, and he is forced to mature much more quickly in this dynamic robbing-of-age story about growing up Black without losing your joy.
The Story of Walter
by Audrey Cefaly
March 16, 2020 at 7 PM
Walter, a recently single father to a spunky seven-year-old daughter, struggles to navigate the world of single parenthood with dating and learning to live again. The latest work by Audrey Cefaly (The Gulf) is a thoughtful, funny and quietly beautiful journey from loneliness and depression to hope and love – and what it means to be a family.
At the Full Yum
by Rahima Rice
June 8, 2020 at 7 PM
Complete opposites Darecia and Jacob struggle to civilly co-parent their teenage son, Ohaji. When a riot that breaks out after a Black teenager is killed by police causes a lockdown, the two are trapped together in their Michigan Park neighborhood – with Ohaji nowhere to be found. The same night is then relived through an alternate reality in a thrilling and captivating reflection of DC – and those who call it home – outside the political bubble.
Readings are free and open to the public with no reservations required. Ali’s Bar will be open with a full food and beverage menu.
For more information about the series, visit SigWorks online.
